Daily Update, August 10, 2024

    I've been doing a lot of thinking about things... the story that's badly stuck, as well as the new or deepened relationships I hope to develop... {bite lips}

   I guess I'd always hoped they be there to see, support, and celebrate these milestones with me. How can I include them when they're not? {bite lips}

   I will say that a problem I've had gathering my thoughts has eased. Just recognizing it as "grief brain," as the bereavement support group called it eased it a lot. Not that I'm over it, but... it's better. {Smile}

   I ate breakfast and dinner with Mom and read to her before dinner. I left the game moderately late. Mom was resting when I went in but responded. At first she just cracked her eyes open when prompted, but as we got into the baby pictures, she began opening them more and keeping them open longer. First, I started my reading with scripture and thoughts about it. Next, I continued her niece's long family Christmas letter from 2020. Then I started _The Picture Book of Babies_ and was rewarded with seeing her wake up and pay more attention. After that, I read six short poems and a story from _365 Animal Stories and Rhymes_. I finished by reading the 10th of August's story, "The Old Days," from _366 Stories for Bedtime_. {Smile}

   Between reading to Mom and dinner, I did my head exercises. Then after dinner, I did my arm swinging exercises and my arm resistance exercises. After playing on City of Heroes: Homecoming for much of the evening, I did my sitting arm weight training exercises with a short break. After another short break, I did my standing arm weight training exercises. After another short break, I did my led exercises, pushing myself to do a little more of most of the exercises, while yesterday, I just tried to get in enough of each that I didn't feel guilty saying I'd done them. {wink} Then after a longer break, and a longer one than I meant to take, I did five of my walking exercises before I admitted to myself that I was unsteady enough and it was late enough, I really should stop for the day. {Smile}

   After breakfast, I read articles, then played Cross Stitch World while I did a good bit of thinking. Then I started writing up daily update. I checked out City of Heroes: Homecoming over lunch. Then finished writing up my daily update. Next, I cleaned myself up. Then I got back into City of Heroes: Homecoming earlier than I have recently. I saw someone advertising a team doing a kind of individual missions in a row and joined it. Then I discovered it was led by bowlofdro and Soothing Darkness. I ran with them for a few missions that lasted well over an hour, right until Pierogies said hi and invited me to the later long, large-group event. Then I switched and ran it with him. We talked a bit afterwards, but I left to read to Mo fairly quickly. {Smile}

   After dinner and exercises, I began writing this up. Then I read comics and got back into City of Heroes: Homecoming earlier than usual. I started with paperwork. Dennis came in and said hi before I was done, so I left it for later, and we joined a giant monster team together. We ran with it all evening, even when it switched leaders, and even when it started repeating monsters. I said goodnight to Nox on the chat server sometime during that run, having missed talking. After Dennis left and the team broke up, I went back to that paperwork, along with more than had piled up during the evening. Then I played by myself a bit before I started my exercises. Then I played alone some more and did more paperwork. Next, I wrote more of this and started making notes in it. I finished out with more exercises, followed by finishing writing and making notes in this. {Smile}